Like a long-dead creature that has been resurrected from the grave, Nosferatu is the horror story that can’t be killed.
Director Robert Eggers is the latest to bring this vampire story back to life with the December release of Nosferatu, which quickly earned raves from critics and audiences alike.
After Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel was published in 1897, German filmmaker, F.W. Murnau, decided to adapt it into a film. He asked Stoker’s widow for the rights to the story but was denied. Instead of giving up, Murnau chose to change Dracula into Nosferatu (a.k.a. Count Orlok). He changed some of the other aspects of the story and made his “original” Nosferatu film in 1922. Stoker’s widow eventually caught on to this unauthorized adaptation and sued the production company Prana Film into bankruptcy.
The courts also decided that all copies of the film were to be destroyed. Many years later, people found and restored long-lost copies of the 1922 film. It is still praised to this day for being one of the greatest vampire/horror films of all time. In 1979, director Werner Herzog attempted his own remake of the film,. Aand now Eggers, the director behind The Witch, The Lighthouse, and The Northman, has made his mark on Nosferatu history.
The 2024 version of Nosferatu takes a different approach to telling its story, focusing on creating a foreboding feeling of fear and dread. It doesn’t use cheap jump scares and gore. Instead, Eggers uses masterful touches to create atmospheric horror, which is his specialty. In all of his films, there’s never really been a direct source to the horror. It’s always created through things like eerie and unsettling cinematography or sound design. Even though the film isn’t super scary, it successfully keeps the audience on its toes. While sitting in the theater, staring at the screen, you can’t help but feel an intense sense of dread.
The film was nominated for four Oscar awards, including Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hair, Best Costume Design, and Best Cinematography. I do think that these nominations are fair, but I would’ve liked to see it get a few more nominations as well, such as Best Adapted Screenplay. I don’t really believe this film was snubbed,
but a lot of people don’t take horror films seriously, which is a shame because some horror films are really just as good as any Oscar-bait drama film. I think it’s time that the awards organizations start recognizing and appreciating horror cinema.
The entire Nosferatu cast did an amazing job portraying their respective characters, but there were a few standouts. Bill Skarsgård as Count Orlok was completely unrecognizable. While watching the film, I completely forgot that Skarsgård was even in it. Part of that was, of course, due to the makeup and prosthetics he wore; however, Skarsgård brought a lot of unique traits to the character, such as his voice and physicality.
Another standout cast member was Willem Dafoe, who plays a mad, occult-obsessed professor named Albin Eberhart Von Franz. This performance was one of my favorite parts of this film. The professor serves as a major driver
of the film’s plot, guiding the protagonists through the final confrontation. Another great performance came from Lily-Rose Depp as Ellen Hutter. Ellen is depicted as a vessel for Count Orlok’s obsession in the film. The film’s plot revolves around Depp’s character, so it was important to cast someone who could carry the film on their shoulders, and I think that Depp was a great choice for the part. Every scene she was in, she kind of stole the show.
One of my favorite things about the new Nosferatu was the cinematography. Jarin Blaschke, director of photography and director Robert Eggers used the dark, night-time lighting to great effect, often leaving the viewer to wonder what’s lurking in the shadowy backgrounds. It leaves the audience in suspense, preparing for something to jump out at them at any moment.
Nosferatu isn’t really what I expected going into the theater, but it was a fantastic film. And I think that any fan of vampire films or just horror films, in general, should go watch Nosferatu as soon as they possibly can.
